


All the Stories Never Told

by Onlyafraidoffear



Series: Let Me Tell You a Story [2]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Breastfeeding, Cana is a good mom, Childbirth, Gen, Gray and Cana surrogate siblings, Gray is awesome, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Suicide Notes, Teenage Pregnancy, Warnings at each chapter: read them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:54:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24099166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onlyafraidoffear/pseuds/Onlyafraidoffear
Summary: Companion piece to Let Me Tell You a Story, all the things that could have been. What if Cana had her baby early? What if she confided in the guild? What if someone found her suicide note?These are all the things that could have been.
Relationships: Cana Alberona/Original Character(s)
Series: Let Me Tell You a Story [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1738732
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. You Didn't Ask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Why didn't you tell anyone?" "You didn't ask." "Is there anything else we should be asking?" Cana had been missing for three weeks, of all the theories the guild had come up with- this had never even made the list.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cana goes into labor a day early and stays home with her baby for the first few weeks, not thinking anyone would notice she was gone. Meanwhile there is almost a country-wide search going on as everyone is frantic to try and find her, everybody coming up with more and more horrible theories as to where she is, only for Cana to walk right in the door.

Three weeks.

It had been three weeks since anyone had last heard from Cana Alberona. Normally, no one would worry too much about Cana, the girl was responsible, a strong mage in her own right, and unlike some of her guildmates she didn't go looking for trouble.

Yet, nothing she had said the last time she had been seen indicated she was doing anything out of the ordinary. If she had taken a job, Makarov would have known, if she had planned a trip of some kind, she would have told somebody, yet there was nothing.

At first Makarov had tried to ask the girls to look through Cana's room in Fairy Hills for any possible clues, only for the girls to inform him that Cana had moved out months ago, and no one had asked where her new address was.

The emergency room at the hospital never admitted anyone under her name or description, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when no one matching her description had entered the morgue. No one at the train station could remember her coming or going at all in the past three weeks. Nobody had seen her in the local shopping district, nobody had seen her in any of her favorite restaurants.

At three days of no one seeing her, some people got curious, but ultimately no one was worried. At a week, everyone was starting to get concerned, asking around if anyone knew what was going on. At two weeks everyone who had been unconcerned up until that point became worried. Now at three weeks, to say the mood inside the guildhall was frantic would be an understatement.

It had been understood that everyone in the younger generation of Fairy Tail relied on the brunette card mage to some degree, as a shoulder to cry on, someone to vent to, or a mediator in fights. Now that she was missing it seemed like fights were breaking out every five minutes.

Poor Levy, who had been the last person to see her, had been frantically searching her memory to try and uncover some clue the card mage must have given her. Not that anyone blamed her, Macao had been one of the first to tentatively suggest that maybe Cana just didn't want to be found, only for everyone to shoot him down.

Yet, there were doubts in everyone's minds- happy, healthy, fourteen-year-old girls didn't just disappear with no trace. Cana was well liked, she hadn't taken combative missions in a long time, no one had ever seen her lose her temper. The only vice the girl had was sneaking drinks when she thought no one was looking!

Every single Fairy Tail member on long term missions had been called via emergency lacrima call- wanting to know if Cana had mentioned anything to them or if by some miracle she was with them. It wasn't as fruitless as they had expected, Laxus had at least been able to tell them that he knew the anniversary of her mother's death was coming up- that had given them a tentative hope that died after they sent Jet to her home town, only to find out the anniversary wasn't for another month.

As everything was going on, people who had previously thought they knew Cana were questioning themselves. If they knew her as well as they thought they had, then they would know what was going on in her life that could have caused her to disappear.

Had she left on her own, was her silence deliberate? Had someone done something to make her run away? Had she been threatened and left to try to help the guild? Was she eating, was she wounded? Had someone kidnapped her?

A full-scale search was being planned, with other guilds being contacted to let them know to be on the lookout for her. The lists of recent enemies were being compiled, just in case someone had decided to get revenge, but they would have heard something by now. The most they had gotten was from a Mermaid Heel mage, who after consulting whatever method of divination that her magic relied on, was able to tell them she was alive.

That was something at least, they couldn't get any details on location or on her state of health (ironically the person who would be able to tell them that via magic was Cana herself- apparently at fourteen she was one of the foremost experts at card magic- go figure), but she was alive and they could work with that.

Then just as the search was about to begin, the girl herself walked right in the doors.

Everyone had been stunned speechless, when Cana arrived at the guildhall, an odd sling across her chest, a bag over her shoulder, looking tired, but otherwise fine, staring at the chaos like _they_ were the weird ones. As if she hadn't been missing for three weeks without a word!

"Wow, is everything okay?" The brunette had asked alarmed.

"CANA!"

The girl had been unprepared for the sudden attempt at a dog pile from her relieved guildmates, everyone trying to hug her and ask their questions at the same time, which resulting in everyone crashing into each other. Cana managed to sidestep her concerned guildmates with wide eyes, as everybody tried to untangle themselves from the pile.

Makarov, being the first to get out of the pile, grew in size until he could look the brunette in the eye, immediately tried to pull the confused girl into a bone crushing hug, only for the bundle to let out a protesting mewl.

 _That_ sound somehow managed to quiet everyone still in the pile, as everyone tried to figure out if they had just heard what they thought they had heard. While Makarov, who had been startled at the sound, looked down into the sling across Cana's chest, only to see a baby.

The guild master blinked and rubbed at his eyes, and nope that was definitely a baby.

Cana winced a little bit, before she steeled herself," Master what is going on? Did somebody attack us? Is anybody hurt?"

Despite the situation everybody snorted, yup that was Cana alright- concerned about everyone's well being except for hers.

Natsu, surprisingly was the one to respond," WE WERE WORRIED ABOUT YOU STUPID!"

That got a surprised blink from the brunette girl, who quietly asked," You were worried?"

Before anyone could respond to that comment (did she seriously think they wouldn't worry about her?) Makarov silenced anything that might have been said with a direct comment," Cana, whose baby is that?"

The still tangled group felt their minds go blank: baby? Then as one everyone zeroed in on the sling Cana was now adjusting, yeah that was a baby sling. The card mage blushed under the scrutiny, looking strangely pleased with this bizarre situation.

"That's actually why I'm here right now," she admitted," Everybody, I would like you to meet my son, Henry."

"HUH?"

Somehow the tangled mass of people suddenly was undone as everyone began babbling trying to figure out what was going on. Her son? Her son? Did Cana find an abandoned baby and decide to adopt it? Was she screwing with them- no that wasn't really her thing.

"Quiet!" At the command from the guild master everyone shut up, he didn't even have to yell.

Turning toward his surrogate daughter, he moved her from the doorway of the guild to one of the tables, wanting her to sit down before the interrogation started. The rest of the guild followed suit gathering as close as they could, some sitting at the table, some sitting on the table (Natsu), and others on the floor.

"Cana, child, you had us so worried," in three weeks the man had aged five years, "Cana we had no idea if you were alive, we had no idea if you had been kidnapped or if you were hurt, and now you have a baby? What happened Cana?"

The brunette girl looked surprised, as though she couldn't fathom why they were worried, before speaking," My water broke at two in the morning, after I got changed, I called my midwife then headed to the birthing center. Walking there wasn't the best idea in hindsight," the sheepish brunette admitted," Although by the time I got there I was almost ready to start pushing so I suppose it wasn't all bad. Henry made his grand entrance maybe an hour after I got there, and he was ready to go home the next day. I've just been spending the last few weeks adjusting to having a baby."

Cana said that so matter of factly, like it wasn't earth-shattering information.

"Your- your water broke? And the reason you haven't been back was because you were taking care of your baby?" Macao summed up, not really processing it.

"Yup."

"You- you hid a pregnancy?"

The girl just blinked before replying, "Nobody asked."

Mira's incredulous reply seemed to speak for everyone, " _Is There Anything Else We Should Be Asking?_ "

Cana just blinked, "Let me put it this way: you really do not want to know what I used to do with my weekends."

Nobody really knew what to say to that, nor was anyone sure they really wanted to know; though everybody quietly started panicking when the baby started crying, only to stare in amazement as Cana quietly started to shush her newborn.

"Shhh- come on angel don't be like that, tell mommy what you want" at the slight warble in the boy's cry Cana seemed to blink for a moment at her fussing baby, before going to the straps of her top, sliding them out of the way in order to expose her breast enough for the infant to latch on.

"Uhhh, Cana? Should you uh, really be doing that here?" a red faced Erza questioned her friend as everyone pointedly looked away from the young mother nursing her baby.

The redhead's question caused the card mage to stare at her like Erza was the single _dumbest_ creature she had ever seen," My baby is _hungry,_ and you expect me to care about _you?"_

"Who's the dad?" Elfman asked, making everyone start as they realized the question hadn't even crossed their minds. And it was a good question. Cana had never so much as mentioned having a crush, though judging from the fact that she was now a _mother_ , maybe they didn't know her as well as they thought they had.

Cana stiffened and took a shaky breath as a tear slipped down her face.

This reaction made everyone immediately jump to the worst possible scenario.

Wakaba was the one to ask what was on everyone's mind," C-Cana, you… you weren't- "

She cut him off in a hurry, "No, no I wasn't raped, or forced, or coerced, or anything like that!"

That made everyone relax before Macao asked, "But, who is the father. Is he going to take responsibility for your baby?"

A unified mindset among the guild was that if the father didn't step up, they could always beat him up- hell they may do that anyway.

"No, no he is not going to be involved in Henry's life. He died a few months ago, before I even knew I was pregnant- "the girl was visibly trying not to cry as she adjusted her top as she burped her son, focusing on him while blocking everyone else out.

Makarov moved forward and wrapped his arms around Cana's shoulders, he smiled at the upset girl, trying to lift her spirits.

"Your son is beautiful," the guild master said quietly, "I wish you had told us he was on the way. I'm so sorry we failed you Cana; you should have felt like you could come to us about this, and I am so sorry I never noticed something was wrong. I hope you will forgive me child."

A teary Cana answered," I never thought that!"

"That doesn't mean it isn't true. But I will tell you this now Cana, if you think I am letting you out of my sight you are very much mistaken."

Despite his teasing tone he was dead serious, and he had a feeling that he wouldn't have any shortage of volunteers willing to do so.

"Would you like to hold him?"

The offer from his foster daughter surprised him, but the guild master eagerly responded positive and took his new grandchild in his arms. Offended exclamations from the rest of the guild made him feel a bit smug; everyone was complaining about Makarov being the first one to get to hold the baby.

'Oh', the old man thought as he looked down at Henry's sweet little face, 'you are going to be quite the spoiled little boy. Everybody already loves you so much, what a lucky little thing you are'.

The old man then passed the baby to Macao, who then proceeded to pass the child around the guild, with Cana hovering over some of the more clumsy members (cough*Natsu*cough), until eventually Henry was back in his mother's arms.

The future was bright.


	2. From the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cana had promised herself that if someone asked she would tell them, time would tell if she made the right decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I came up with this alternate as I was writing the original story, what if Cana had told the guild about Henry- how could that change things?

The brunette card mage was trying to have fun. It was a festival, and everything was decked out beautifully, with everyone laughing and have a grand time, but she was still on edge. Cana was still in a mental war with herself, trying to decide if she should tell someone about her baby or if she should keep it quiet.

She had been avoiding jobs the past week because of a 'stomach bug' and now that her midwife had given her a concoction that made her nausea disappear she was trying to figure out if she should prepare on her own or let people in on it. Logically, she realized that if she was going to keep it a secret, everyone would find out eventually, because her child had to be born sooner or later.

Damn it all, Cana really needed a drink.

She had already stopped drinking, tossing out the beer and wine she had stashed away to avoid the temptation to drink- she wasn't going to hurt her baby because she couldn't control herself.

She was honestly a bit hurt that no one had noticed that she had stopped sneaking drinks, but if it prevented her from having to explain she would let it go on it bit longer.

An arm swung the card mage into a hug with a tipsy Wakaba cheerfully exclaiming, "Cheer up kiddo! You shouldn't be looking so upset with everything going on- you've always loved the Sakura festival!"

The smoker lowered his volume as he asked her seriously, "Are you alright Cana? You haven't been acting like yourself lately."

The violet eyed girl opened her mouth, ready to tell him she was alright, before she closed it, slightly surprised. Someone had noticed, Wakaba had noticed she was different, she had promised herself that if someone asked, she would tell the truth. Before she could verbalize anything, Macao appeared on the other side of the concerned Wakaba, a pint of beer in hand.

"Hey Cana, I figure since it's a festival, one beer couldn't hurt, 'specially if it stops you from stealing my whiskey later," the man teased in mock admonishment, handing out the mug to the teenager.

"No, it's alright, thank you," she polite informed Macao, gently pushing the drink away from her- now _that_ got a reaction. Both men stared at her with absolutely poleaxed expressions on their faces, and everyone within hearing distance turned to stare at her in disbelief.

Cana refusing alcohol? Was this a sign of the impending apocalypse?

"Are- are you feeling okay?" Macao asked, absolutely stunned.

Meanwhile Wakaba had moved forward, attempting to put his hand on her forehead," Okay, I knew something was wrong-"

"I'm pregnant," the girl blurted out, not wanting to lose her nerve.

"Wait- WHAT!" came the shocked exclamations of everybody in the guild.

Damn, the girl winced, she must have said that louder than she thought.

"I'm pregnant," Cana repeated, suddenly feeling small with every eye on her, "I- I'll just- "

The flustered teen tried to make a run for it, only to have Macao grab her arm to hold her in place. She felt herself redden in humiliation, why did she have to say it, was this baby brain everyone kept talking about?

"Cana-"The fire mage was at a loss for words, as was everyone else apparently.

Cana was the golden child among the younger generation, her only competition being Lisanna and Levy. Other than sneaking drinks, she had never acted out, had never destroyed national monuments or assaulted foreign dignitaries or even talked back to an adult. And now she was pregnant?

Makarov managed to get his bearings first, pushing through the silent crowd until he got to Cana, the teenager's eyes filling with tears. He pulled her away from Macao and took her back into his office.

Once she was alone the teenager broke down, not quite sure what she was crying about. Makarov grew until he could pull Cana onto his lap and just calmly hold her as the pregnant teen sobbed out her anxiety. Internally the guildmaster was afraid the tears were ones of shame for a different reason, but his first priority was making sure his child was alright.

After a while Cana's sobs lessened to sniffles, as she finally calmed down.

"Feel better?"

"Yeah, I kind of do," the girl admitted.

Makarov quietly began to ask her the questions the man knew the teenager wasn't going to want to answer, "So, you're pregnant?"

"Yeah, I just found out. I already found a midwife, I'm-I'm six weeks."

The man tried to strain his memory to see if he could remember any boy Cana had mentioned seeing, he got more and more worried when he couldn't find one.

"Cana, child, what happened?"

The girl looked up, at the man who had all but raised her as she wrapped her arms around her midsection, softly she answered, " I don't want to talk about it. I wasn't raped or anything, but I- I just don't think I'm ready to talk about it."

Despite wanting answers, the concerned man just quietly answered, "And I won't make you, but when you're ready, you can come to me. I swear to you I will drop everything and listen. Before anything else Cana, know this, we are your family. Fairy Tail is your home, no one is going to judge you, but I think I speak for everyone when I say we will support you no matter what you want to do. I can hold your hand in the clinic or I can hold your hand in the delivery room- it's entirely up to you."

"I- I think I want to keep it," the teenager admitted quietly, meaning every word," This is my baby, I'm its mother, and I already love it so much."

"If you want to keep it then we will help you," Makarov said, looking at Cana, to him she was always going to be the little six year old girl, who wondered into the guild lost and alone, now she was going to be a mother and he just wished for her sake it wasn't happening so soon.

"Do you want to go back out there, or do you want me to take you back to Fairy Hills?"

"I-I think I need to face the music Master. I just want to get this over with," the girl admitted.

The man nodded and stood, returning to his normal size as he and Cana walked out of his office only to be hit with a blast of anxious chatter.

"Cana!"

"We're sorry we reacted like that-"

"Please don't be upset!"

"We are all behind you one hundred percent!"

"Just think we get to buy for a baby!"

As everyone crowded the two, Cana felt a smile come onto her face. Maybe telling everyone had been the right idea after all.

oOOOOo

It was one of the worst storms Magnolia had seen in years. Rain pounded the guildhall, as thunder crashed overhead, shaking the foundations of the building. Inside however, things were pretty normal. The usual rivals of Erza and Mirajane, and Gray and Natsu were in the process of trying to beat the crap out of each other. Elfman and Lisanna tried to limit the damage, Makarov was crying over the bills, and other assorted guild members were drinking and laughing, everyone content to stay inside and avoid the storm.

In one corner out of the way of all the chaos, Cana Alberona sat smiling at the usual calamity that was the guild hall. Despite being nine months pregnant, she certainly didn't look it, with her bump being pretty easy to miss if you didn't know what to look for.

It turned out she was one of the lucky ones who would barely show, something she felt almost guilty about being thankful for.

Since her abrupt announcement at the Sakura festival the entire guild went out of their way to help her get ready for her baby. From helping her find a new place big enough to set up a nursery, to establishing a schedule so someone would be able to escort her to every appointment. Though the lack of space was frustrating at times, as no one would let her take any jobs no matter what they were, the girl was deeply touched at just how much everyone cared about her and at how excited they were for her child to come into the world.

The teen let out a hiss as a pain rippled across her belly, the one thing she could do without in her pregnancy would definitely be the false contractions. They had been sneaking up on her for the last week and it was annoying when she got no warning. The card mage carefully looked around to make sure no one had noticed her discomfort.

Now that she was a week away from her due date everyone had been almost paranoid, she had gotten a false contraction in front of Erza the other day and the red head almost swallowed her fork in panic as she tried to yell and eat at the same time.

The thunder boomed overhead, causing the brunette to look up in annoyance. It had been pouring all day and with the noise in the guild hall the thunder seemed like entirely too much.

Levy appeared from out of nowhere at the brunette's side.

"So, how are you doing?" The bluenette questioned trying to seem casual.

The pregnant girl just looked at her and deadpanned," Not in labor yet, if that's what you're asking. Also not looking for any naming suggestions either."

The book-loving girl blushed at being called out.

"Sorry, it's just the big day is almost here and I've been reading up on childbirth- man it sounds really scary-" at the look on the other girl's face, Levy cut herself off, " and I am not going to talk about it, because you don't need to hear it."

"No, I really don't," Cana said dryly, she had taken the birthing classes for a reason.

"Cana, can- can I feel your belly?" The younger girl aske shyly, remembering how Cana had punched Natsu into a wall when he had tried touching without permission.

The older girl laughed, "Of course," and moved Levy's hand onto the small bump, the baby giving a strong kick inside its mother.

"Wow," Levy said with stars in her eyes, "Its just so weird to think that there's a person in there, that you're going to be a mom."

Cana nodded in agreement almost shyly, quietly admitting," Yeah, it really is."

If the brunette was going to say something else, it was cut off by another sudden contraction, making the card mage let out a yelp as her hands few to her belly, trying to edge the pain away.

"Wait- are you having _contractions_?" the blue haired scholar demanded in a panic.

At the word 'contractions' the entire hall froze, everyone immediately turning towards the expecting girl as a single unified thought of 'shit' crossed everyone's mind. In a heartbeat the two girls were surrounded by the entire guildhall, everyone asking questions over each other so that it was impossible to understand.

"QUIET!"

At the roar from the master everyone stopped talking.

"Give the girl some space. Now, what's this I hear about contractions?"

As an annoyed Cana opened her mouth to tell everyone it was just a false alarm, another pain ripped through her, pulling a groan out of her.

Everyone lost their minds. A panicked crowd yelling for somebody to go get towels, to go get a doctor, asking Cana if she was alright, and nobody having a single rational thought in their minds.

The entire cacophony was silenced by the quietest, "Oh no," coming from the pregnant girl.

Cana herself was in a bit of shock, as when she was about to tell off her overly concerned guildmates, a gush of fluid came out of her. The girl barely noticed the suddenly quiet hall, as she quietly announced," My water just broke."

If she had thought things were crazy before, it held nothing on the absolute bedlam before her now. They were running around like a flock of headless chickens. Shouts for water, towels, a doctor, and vodka were echoing off the entire room.

Throughout it all, Cana was just staring at them bemused, wasn't she supposed to be the one freaking out? Since Makarov himself was among the panicked crowd, she took it upon herself to break the calamity.

"SHUT UP!"

At the scream everyone was once again frozen in place, Cana taking in a hitched breath as the next contraction hit.

"To my knowledge, I am supposed to be the one freaking out here," the annoyed card mage said," Now, if somebody could go get towels, hot water, a med kit, and a doctor that would be great. And while some of you are doing that, I want someone else to help me get to the infirmary."

At the brunette's words everybody snapped into action, with Makarov growing to a size where he could easily carry the laboring girl. On the way to the infirmary, Cana breathed through another contraction, damn they were coming close.

It seemed, Levy, Lisanna, Mira, and Erza had all followed Makarov into the room, all nervous but wanting to help their friend.

Cana let out another groan as the next contraction hit, gritting her teeth she stayed calm as Makarov placed her down onto the bed. Okay, she took back everything she said about those birthing classes being a waste of time.

"Thank you master," she got out between breaths," Think you guys could help me get changed? I also need someone to help me time- shit!"

Damn, they were coming really close together- wasn't this supposed to be really drawn out and slow? She'd been told first labor was always the longest, sometimes lasting full days! Why the hell was she an exception?

"This is happening too fast," the girl managed to get out, between pants, "Was anyone keeping track?"

At the guilty faces she was going to guess no.

Lisanna decided to offer," About three minutes Cana." The poor girl looked almost as white as her hair.

"Okay that changes things, screw getting changed. I need to know how dilated I am, if I'm ten then master get ready- you said you would hold my hand in the delivery room."

Makarov nodded his head, looking quite green, but he was determined to keep his word to Cana.

"How-how do I check dilation?" Mira asked, easily as white-faced as her sister.

Cana let out another deep groan," It's quite easy, just shove your hands up my cunt-if you can fit ten fingers then its time to push."

Mira looked like she was going to throw up but moved to the bed as Levy went to get one of the spare shirts they kept around for patients. Lisanna started the timer and Erza went to go see if anyone had the supplies- because they were definitely going to have to deliver the baby themselves.

Cana groaned again, just as Mira came back out from between her legs, refusing to make eye contact with anybody," I- uh- I could fit ten fingers Cana."

The brunette nodded figuring that would be the case," Alright then, time to push. Master, fucking get over here and let me break your hand. Levy- think you could come support my back?"

Both nodded and moved into position around the girl.

Cana started taking deep breaths, in and out, in and out- next contraction should be-

The girl groaned as she bared down, pushing against the pain until it stopped. Then breathing in and out, panting, until- the girl bared down again, and again.

"How the _fuck_ do some people do this twice?!"

Makarov, who was quite convinced that Cana had broken his hand, just had to give his two cents," Well, supposedly once a woman holds her baby- "

"SHUT THE FUCK-oh my god!"

That contraction was worse than the others.

"Mira check will you, I-I think I feel something."

The She-Devil swallowed but moved back to check.

"Oh my god- its, I see the head," Mira sounded like she was going to throw up.

"Alright, this shouldn't be too much lon-"Cana cut herself off with a scream, between pants she managed order, "Mira catch it when it comes out."

Erza burst through the door, supplies in hand.

"What the hell took you so long!" Surprisingly that came from Levy rather than Mira. The blunette glaring at the red head from her position behind Cana, supporting the other girl's back.

"S-sorry," the redhead commented, as she quickly got everything down," How are you doing-"

"SHUT UP ERZA!"

Cana was in a lot of pain and idle chit chat wasn't helping.

"Cana! Its almost out! You're almost there!" Alright, exception made for Mira.

Sweat was rolling off the card mage's face as she gave one last push, and suddenly it was over.

He was here.

Mira managed to shove the newborn to his mother's chest, Levy catching Cana as she nearly collapsed against her. Suddenly people were talking, and things were moving, but Cana couldn't hear anything.

He was slimy, red, scrunched up, covered in some kind of gunk, and just starting to cry.

She had never seen anything so beautiful in her entire life.

"Happy Birthday Henry."

The new mother looked up at Lisanna, who had stayed near the door almost the entire time, "Think you could go let everyone know he's here?"

The youngest Strauss nodded and immediately ran out the door.

Cana was ready for whatever happened next, her guild was the best family she could have ever wanted for her son, and she was so glad she had told them.


	3. When a Note is Read

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Cana's suicide note is found, it leaves everyone in a mad dash to try to find her before it's too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What if someone found Cana’s suicide note before she got a chance to destroy it.

“Cana?” Levy called as she opened the brunette’s already ajar door. It wasn’t like her to not close her door all the way.

The blunette scanned the room, and upon realizing that the card mage must have just forgotten to close her door all the way before she left (where was she- Levy wasn’t sure she’d seen her today) turned to leave, before something caught her eye. There were three closed envelopes on Cana’s desk, moving closer she noticed that they were addressed ‘to Master’, ‘to the Guild’, and strangely ‘to Gildarts’- what would Cana need to write to the Ace about?

Though curious, Levy was just going to leave it- surely Cana would read the letter to the guild later, but her foot accidently knocked over the small trash can, causing a small mountain of crumpled papers to roll all over the floor. Whoops.

Oh well, the bookworm figured that she might as well pick all of them up before she left- it would only be polite. As she gathered them up, she found herself getting curious- whatever Cana had been writing she had to have started and restarted a hundred times. As she continued to clean up all the paper balls the blunette continued to fight the temptation to read until finally she couldn’t take it anymore; Levy flattened out one of the papers and began to read what she could between crossed out lines and water stains- and she froze.

This… this had to be part of some kind of sick joke- or maybe Cana was writing a story? Maybe the rest would help her figure it out.

Levy frantically started grabbing every ball within arms reach only to become more and more distressed when all of them contained the same message. Desperate she dove for the letters still on the desk, tearing the envelope of the letter addressed to the guild, only to stand in mute horror at the words on the page.

Where was Cana?! Had she already- was she-?

Levy didn’t think, she just started running, tears streaming down her face and the letter clutched in a death grip- _don’t think about death Cana is **fine**_ \- until somehow she made it to the guild, bursting through the doors.

“Where’s Cana?!” She screamed hysterically,” Oh my God, _where is she_?!”

Everyone in the entire hall was frozen for a moment before suddenly she was surrounded. Everyone asking stupid questions and nobody telling her where Cana was and if she was okay!

She started shoving at people to get them to back off, she heard a yell and suddenly Master was right in front of her,” Levy-child what’s wrong?”

She heard somebody let out a sob (oh wait that was her) as she shoved the letter to Master- she couldn’t trust herself to speak right now, she’d probably start screaming.

Master took it and Levy could tell the exact moment he realized what it was. All the color drained from his face,” Where’s Cana- Levy where’s Cana?” He asked as he took Levy by the shoulders looking the blue haired girl directly in the eye, ignoring the questions from everyone.

Levy let out another sob as she shook her head,” I don’t _know_!” She shrieked hysterically,” All- all that was there was that- oh my god!”

Master kissed her head, holding her to him for a moment before he was sitting her down and barking out orders. It seemed like he was sending everyone out to look for Cana- but what if it was already- no no no. Don’t think like that Levy! She’s still alive and you can smack her later and then hug her until her ribs crack for all of this.

Master hugged her one more time before sitting down next to her, saying that they had to wait here and hope that someone would find her in time.

oOOOOo

Macao wasn’t sure how they must have looked to everyone else in Magnolia- the entirety of the guild spread out screaming Cana’s name borderline hysterically, but they had to find her.

He had always thought of Cana as his own daughter, ever since the little girl had first arrived at the guild. Big purple eyes that looked at everyone like they were the most incredible people in the entire world. And she had written a suicide note.

He… he was desperately hoping that this was just a nightmare or a sick joke- that he couldn’t have missed that sweet girl falling apart to the point that she decided that dying was the only way to escape from whatever demons were haunting her.

Why? Why would she do this? What could have happened to make her do this?

A nasty little voice in his head was whispering that the fact he couldn’t answer that question might have something to do with it.

Macao tried to turn the corner and almost crashed directly into Wakaba.

“Did you find her?” They both asked at the same time before making frustrated noises when they realized what the answers were.

They had to find her. They just had to. The sun had already been going down when Levy burst into the guild and now it was so dark that without the streetlamps no one would be able to see their hands in front of their faces. For all they knew Cana was already-

No, no he had to think positive. Cana had to still be alive, but she was definitely in a fragile state right now… and the thought of having to talk that little girl figuratively or literally off of a ledge made his blood run cold.

She was just too damn young. They had no clue when she had left that note- it could have been the night before, it could have been twenty minutes before Levy found it. The sheer amount of things they just didn’t know in this situation was terrifying.

Macao kept on searching, looking in every nook and cranny in town that had probably already been searched ten times over by now. The sun was going to be coming up soon. Cana was probably- no don’t think like that!

There had to be something he was missing! If he was going to- was going to kill himself, how would he do it? Well, the fire mage supposed that he would probably do it where no one would be able to stop him, some place quiet that didn’t get a lot of foot traffic- someplace peaceful.

And suddenly it hit him.

There was an old bridge outside of town, the thing was practically in the middle of nowhere- but it was maybe a twenty-minute walk from Fairy Hills. Cana liked the colors of the trees; she had told him that once. That had to be the place.

Macao abruptly turned and started running toward it- praying that somehow, he wouldn’t be too late.

oOOOOo

The sun was rising, the fire mage absently thought as he rushed toward the bridge. As it came into view, he stopped dead in his tracks, almost falling over herself: there was someone sitting on the ledge.

A burst of energy from the exhausted man had him right to her (she was okay, she was okay).

Cana was wearing the same clothes he had seen her in the day before yesterday (had she been out here the whole time?!), her eyes were red with tear tracks drying on her face, an expression he couldn’t make heads or tails of. She was totally in her own little world; Macao got the feeling that she had no idea that he was there.

He had to get her off the ledge.

“Cana,” he said gently, trying not to spook her, repeating her name until she finally turned her head towards him, and he had no clue what was going through her head.

She spoke in a quivering voice that sounded like she was two seconds away from falling apart,” I couldn’t do it.”

“I know, that’s okay sweetheart,” he responded gently, trying to keep her calm,” Everybody’s worried about you- we’ve been looking for you all night.”

“Oh,” she was definitely in some kind of shock, but her next words were the sweetest things he had ever heard in his life,” Can I go home now?”

“Of course, you can sweetheart,” the man said almost crying in relief, taking hold of her when she held her arms out to him (what had she been eating? She barely weighed anything!).

“Let’s go home now,” he said into her hair, smiling as he realized that she had fallen asleep almost as soon as she was in his arms, that was fine she was safe now and some part of her subconscious probably recognized that.

And off he went back to the guild, precious cargo in tow.

oOOOOo

The guild was waiting with bated breath for any stragglers to make it back, praying someone would have Cana with them. So far, no such luck. At this point… at this point the local police would probably arrive to tell them… to tell them that they had found Cana’s body.

Then, just as the sun had fully cleared the horizon Macao arrived back at the guild, a form everyone immediately recognized in his arms. She wasn’t moving- why wasn’t she moving?

The fire mage approached Makarov as everyone collectively held their breath.

“Master, think you could help me get her settled in the infirmary? I want her to be comfortable when she wakes up- she’s had a real long day.”

And the dam broke, as everyone started crying and hugging each other: she was alive, Cana was alive, and everything was going to be alright.

Later when everyone was crowded into the infirmary surrounding Cana’s bed (no one wanted to take their eyes off of her) as Macao told the story about how he’d found her sitting on the edge of a bridge.

“… she just looked at me,” the dark-haired man said, still holding the girl’s hand,” She said, ‘I couldn’t do it’ and then she asked to go home. I- I think she’d been out there since the day before yesterday at the very least.”

That caused some people to start in alarm- she had been on the edge of a bridge for over twenty-four hours?!

…She could have been gone for an entire day and no one would have known until they found her body. For whatever reason Cana hesitated everyone would be thankful for it until the day they all died. They could deal with everything when she woke up. She hadn’t jumped, she had sat on that ledge for maybe twenty-four hours, and somehow everyone had a feeling that everything was going to work out fine.

Maybe they were deluding themselves, but Cana was strong, that much they all knew, and they would be there to catch her if she stumbled on the road to recovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This doesn’t exactly fit with the timeline of Let Me Tell You, but I still liked this concept. Whether or not Cana met her boy and had that experience or actually did sit on the edge of the bridge for twenty four hours is completely up to you.  
> Though I’m not totally happy with how I ended it, I just couldn’t come up with something better.


	4. The Nursery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Did something happen to make you move out?" When Cana is questioned about her move, she admits that her new apartment had a room to convert into a nursery.

Cana was feeling a little sad as she boxed up her life. She had lived at Fairy Hills since she had first come to Magnolia, even though moving was the best thing to do for her baby, it was kind of sad that she was leaving what was, her childhood bedroom.

Maybe these were pregnancy hormones making her more emotional, but she wasn’t sure. Oh well, the new place was wide and open with a room that she was going to convert to a nursery (and it was only 70,000 jewel per month!). Though, it was funny that despite living in the room for eight years she only had three boxes full of stuff to move.

“So… you’re really moving?”

The brunette turned to see Erza standing in the open doorway to her room, looking at her apprehensively. “Yeah, I am- I found a nice place that’s cheaper and… well its just time for me to move.” Cana said quietly, not sure if she should be saying anything else or if she should come out with it.

When she had first announced that she was moving out, it had just been laughed off as nobody thought she was serious; but when she had taken the first box out of her room, that was when everyone started to realize that she was serious.

“Well, we’re all going to miss you,” the scarlet haired girl said, blushing lightly.

The brunette smiled,” I’m just moving out- its not like I’m leaving the guild or anything. You all will still see me every day!”

“Yeah… but it’s not the _same_.”

Cana just shrugged and picked up the now packed box and began to head out, she still had to turn in her key before she would officially no longer be a resident of Fairy Hills. She was a little surprised when Erza walked out with her, redheaded girl not saying anything, but hugging her tightly before she headed out the door.

Halfway to her new house Cana stopped to catch her breath when she felt something odd. It was almost a… fluttering sensation inside her belly. She stopped short when she realized what was happening; her baby was moving! She had a beaming smile on her face as she walked the rest of the way, all melancholy feelings banished at the knowledge that her child was going to be the happiest baby in the entire world.

oOOOOo

A few days later Cana was in the shopping district trying to get ideas for how to decorate the nursery on a budget when a loud yell made her turn.

“CANA!” Lisanna Strauss called as she waved the brunette over.

Before she knew it, Cana was sitting at a little café having lunch with both Strauss girls and Levy, conversation focused on whatever the latest scandal was. It was nice to just talk with the other girls, it made her feel… normal, as opposed to a mother-to-be.

“… so, I’ve been meaning to ask about your new place Cana.” Levy said randomly, causing the card mage to blink at the abrupt change in conversation, seeing that both Strauss girls try and fail to avoid looking interested.

“Um, what about it?” Cana asked, honestly not quite sure where this was going.

Lisanna chimed in,” Well… it’s just you haven’t really said anything about it and you just said one day you were moving out and then you were gone… Cana did something happen to make you move out?”

Ah, so that’s what this was, a combination interrogation and intervention, but… she had promised herself that she would be honest if someone asked.

Ah well be casual about it,” Yeah something important did happen and living at Fairy Hills just wasn’t feasible anymore,” the brunette admitted before dropping the bomb,” Besides, my new place is a pretty cheap for everything I’m getting, and has a room that’s going to be a beautiful nursery once I get done with it.” There now it should sink in, five, four, three, two…

“HUH?” Wow that was quite an impressive spit take Levy- hit that old lady halfway across the room.

Mirajane grabbed the brunette’s shoulders shaking her lightly,” Cana, why do you need a nursery?” The white-haired girl asked in barely veiled panic, time for the big reveal…

“I’m pregnant.” Cana said lightly, swallowing past the lump in her throat- this was it, the big reveal made.

Nothing, the brunette carefully opened her eyes (when had she shut them?) to look at the other girls, to see them just staring at her open mouthed in shock.

Lisanna snapped out of it first,” You’re having a baby?” The white-haired girl questioned incredulously.

“Yeah I am.” The card mage said firmly,” it’s actually already started moving around in there.” She finished with a soft smile on her face, as her child shifted in her belly as if on cue.

“…Can I feel?”

“Of course you can!”

As Cana laid Lisanna’s hand onto her belly, Levy and Mirajane both snapped out of their shock enough to request that they be allowed to feel as well.

And so, for the next ten minutes Cana sat as the three girls cooed excitedly as the baby kicked against their palms. Telling them had definitely been the right idea.

oOOOOo

Telling them had been a terrible idea.

She loved her friends, she really did, but all Cana wanted right now was to find a quiet place and scream.

Ever since she had made the announcement about her baby, her female friends (Erza had quickly been let in on the news) had not let her have a single moment alone. Thankfully they hadn’t asked too many questions about her baby’s father after she informed them that he was dead (though if they believed her was debatable), but she couldn’t even go get groceries without one of her friends popping up, insisting to carry the bags for her. She was happy that she had such supportive friends, but just because she was making another human didn’t mean that she was suddenly made of glass.

“- an elephant theme would be really cute for the nursery, don’t you think?” Lisanna chattered happily as Cana let out a non-committal grunt that the other girl seemed to take as an agreement.

The rest of the guild was still in the dark, though everyone knew something was up with the way that the other girls hovered around Cana.

“Cana, Cana are you listening?” Lisanna asked impatiently.

“Honestly, no.” The brunette said unrepentantly,” It’s not that I don’t appreciate you guys being so helpful, I do, but- I just need a little space.”

The Take-Over mage blushed a little before apologizing,” Sorry Cana, its just… you’re our friend and you’re having a baby. Everything is going to change soon, and we just want to help. I’ll try to back off a little,” she promised.

Cana smiled,” I’ve actually been planning on painting clouds onto the walls- think you guys would mind helping? And the crib just arrived, I could use a little help putting it together.”

Lisanna lit up at the peace offering,” I’ll go get everyone- we can start now!” And she zoomed off to go gather everyone, Cana could practically feel the girl’s enthusiasm.

“…What was that about?”

The brunette turned to see a shirtless Gray standing behind her, watching hurricane Lisanna spin off apprehensively.

“Gray your clothes!”

After a brief pause for Gray to get redressed, the ice mage joined the card mage on the bench.

“So really, what was that about? All of you guys are keeping some kind of secret, what’s going on?” He asked her concerned,” Cana if something is going on with you, I want to help.”

Cana felt a little bad, Gray was practically her brother and she had kept him out of the loop- oh well no time like the present. The card mage grabbed his hand and moved it onto her belly, ignoring how Gray’s confused exclamation cut off almost instantly as soon as her baby began kicking at his hand.

She laughed a little at the dumbstruck look on his face, as he kept looking from her face to her belly than back to her face,” Its been moving a lot today,” she said in explanation.

“…baby?” He asked quietly as she nodded in response. A silence stretched out for a few minutes as he processed,” Am I getting a niece or a nephew?”

Cana let out a laugh in surprise,” You find out I’m pregnant and that’s the first thing you ask?” Not even bothering to mention how he automatically assumed he would be the uncle (he was right so why bother?).

“I need to know! That way I can start spoiling them early!” Gray said firmly in his defense, smiling widely.

This, this is why she loved Gray so much, he was her ride or die- he wouldn’t ask any questions unless she wanted him to, and while he would probably ask about the father at some point, he wouldn’t judge her for anything.

“I decided I wanted to be surprised, but if you want to help, the other girls and I are setting up the nursery later- feel free to come.” She offered.

“I’ll be there,” he promised before hugging her and taking off in the direction of the shopping district, probably to make good on his promise about spoiling her baby. She was so blessed to have such an incredible family.

oOOOOo

Cana was kind of surprised that it had taken this long for someone to slip up. In the two months since her pregnancy had become known to her friends, she had been expecting to be pulled aside by Master Makarov almost every day- though she was kind of curious as to what had finally given it away.

As it was Master, Macao, and Wakaba had herded her into Makarov’s office almost as soon as she had arrived that day, and the silence was getting awkward.

“Is anyone going to say anything, or can I just go?” The pregnant teenager asked, slightly irritated.

“Uhm… Cana it has come to our attention that your behavior has been… different- “Makarov stuttered, not sure how to come out and ask.

“Are you pregnant?” Macao blurted out, wincing slightly as the teenager’s gaze turned toward him.

Cana just raised an eyebrow at the flustered men,” Yes I am- I’m thirty weeks right now.”

That got alarmed looks for the three men- she was almost due, and she hadn’t said anything?!

“W-Why didn’t you say anything?” Wakaba asked incredulously at the calm teenager.

“Because I was waiting for someone to ask,” the brunette explained,” The girls’ asked me why I moved out and Gray asked me why I was acting differently- Elfman found out from Mira and I’m not sure who told Natsu.”

“C-Cana this may be offensive and I’m sorry if it comes across that way,” Macao started,” But- why weren’t you more careful?”

The card mage stilled before taking a deep breath,” It didn’t occur to us in the moment, we were both messed up and it had been an insane set of circumstances; getting pregnant never even occurred to me.”

She could see the question in their minds and cut them off before they could ask,” The father died before I even knew I was pregnant- no I do not want to talk about it.” She said firmly.

“… Do you know what you’re having?” Makarov asked to try and dispel the awkward atmosphere.

“…It’s a boy. You don’t have to worry I’ve got everything handled, nursery, doctors appointments, the works,” Cana said as she stood up to leave,” … I want the guild to be part of his life and I understand you’re disappointed that I didn’t wait- but my son is here to stay and I intend to raise him, whether you like it or not.”

Without waiting for an answer, the girl headed out of the room, proud that she’d said her piece. They would come around eventually and when they did there was a place for them in her son’s life.

oOOOOo

Two months later Cana was a week away from her due date, dealing with her overly concerned family anxiously asking her every ten minutes if she was alright. She’d been right, everyone had come around and were now almost as excited as she was.

The nursery was done, painted with clouds and swooping birds flying everywhere, the crib and changing table were set up, clothes and toys for her son decked every spare space. He was definitely going to be a spoiled little boy, with a family that already adored him so much.

A snore broke through the silence making Cana’s eyebrow twitch. Maybe adored him a little too much.

Gray was currently crashed on her couch, the latest in the rotation. The guild was making sure that someone was with her at all times just in case she went into labor early. They had even created a magic charm that had been issued to everyone that would alert everyone when the big moment came.

Though no one had asked her what she thought about it, nope she was just the womb and had no will outside of her baby. She took a breath, that wasn’t fair- if she told them to back off, they would probably back off, but she did like how happy they all were about her baby.

Oh well, time to go try and sleep, of course by the time she got comfortable she would have to pee, but hey wouldn’t hurt to make an effort.

She woke up about an hour later not sure what was going on or what had woken her, then a pain hit her over the head with a hammer. She toughed it out breathing until it was over, she hated Braxton Hicks contractions so damn much. The stupid things liked to sneak up on her whenever she was finally comfortable and make her day suck. And she didn’t even have a big bump! Cana felt so bad for the women who walked around with huge bellies and swollen ankles- compared to that this pregnancy was easy!

Still, might as well try to sleep-

Another contraction hit her over the head. Damn she hated those things. Oh well, might as well get up since baby boy had decided to start kicking her in the bladder. Ah pregnancy, such a wonderous process.

She got halfway to the bathroom when her water broke.

Holy shit.

Okay, clean up first or wake up Gray?

“Gray!”

A loud thud, followed by a curse before the Ice Make mage appeared in doorway looking from her face to her belly to the puddle growing around her, a look of alarm growing on his face.

“Is that-?”

Cana nodded needlessly saying,” Water broke.”

What happened next Cana would never be able to tell anyone for the life of her, just that she had somehow gotten to the birthing center and her midwife met her at the door, with the entire guild already there.

Within an hour after arriving baby Henry made his grand entrance. The most beautiful baby she had ever seen and perfect in every possible way.

Her gigantic family was waiting to see the two of them and according to the nurses had taken bets on everything from birth weight to hair color to how many times she would swear during labor. She was so glad she had told them, having them there cheering her on throughout everything just made everything feel so much easier.

She had a beautiful son, a brother in all but blood who would stick by her in everything, a group of friends she loved dearly, and a gigantic group of people that all just wanted the best for her- she was one of the luckiest people alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it wasn’t clear earlier- Gray persuaded her to find out the gender in this case (mostly because I wanted to use the line ‘my son is here to stay and I intend to raise him). Also in case anybody picked up on it- Cana got Lucy’s apartment (I just thought that detail would be funny).


	5. Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cana and Gray have been close for a long time, so when something this big happens in her life she knows exactly who to go to for help.
> 
> Warnings: Teen mother shaming (not detailed), and childbirth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the relationship between these two, and most of this chapter was written in one sitting.

They were getting dirty looks.

Gray was honestly pissed off about it. Cana was going through enough as it is- people shaming her for being young and pregnant wasn't helping.

"Alberona."

At the call both Cana and Gray stood up and headed over to the nurse, a younger blonde woman who blinked in surprise before quickly getting them into an exam room without so much as mentioning their ages.

"Gray- your clothes!"

The dark-haired boy jerked as he hurriedly redressed (why the hell did he keep doing that?!). His job here was to be Cana's rock and to see how he could help.

A few minutes later as they were waiting in the appointment room discussing the latest drama involving Natsu almost getting castrated by Mira when she caught him taking a nap with Lisanna in the guildhall (just sleeping- neither of them could figure out what the problem was) when the door opened.

The red-haired woman stared at them in surprise for a moment, before quickly schooling herself and getting down to business.

"Hi, I'm Sarah, I take it that you're Cana?" She asked, holding out her hand to the younger girl.

"Yeah and this is my brother Gray." The brunette said as she accepted the handshake.

'Brother', it made the ice user feel so good when his surrogate sister called him that. He had let her down before, but when it came down to it, she had come to him when she needed help. He just had to prove he was worthy of that kind of trust.

The woman just nodded, thankfully not openly judging Cana for being young- skipping, instead, to the standard questions. When her last period was, symptoms, blood test results, family medical history, before finally hitting the uncomfortable part.

"…Now I want this known first- you being young will not be a problem here. If anyone gives you hard time here, let me know and I will deal with it. But you are early enough that you do have options. Do you have any idea what you want to do?"

Cana took a deep breath, but before anything left her mouth Gray left his spot by the wall to grab her hand. His words from the day before running through their heads 'I will hold your hand in the clinic or I will hold your hand in the delivery room'.

"I want to keep it." She said firmly, squeezing her brother's hand," Tell me what I need to do to make sure my baby is healthy, and I'll do the rest."

Sarah looked her up and down before smiling gently," For what it's worth, I'm proud of you. I get so many teenage mother's who are more concerned with their own lives than their babies. You… I can already tell you're going to be a fantastic mother." The woman finished.

Gray was pretty damn proud too. His sister was so strong- this kid was going to turn out fine.

oOOOOo

It was raining cats and dogs outside. But don't the important things always happen on dark stormy nights?

Gray and Cana were sitting outside of the usual chaos that was the guild. Gray dearly wanted to jump in just to grind Natsu's pink little head into the ground, but his sister and his soon to be born niece came first (Cana kept on saying her cards told her it was a boy- ha he'd prove her cards wrong for once!).

Cana was due next week and everything was as ready as it was ever going to be. New apartment was ready, diapers were stockpiled, nursery had been set up, and Gray had made sure she had enough food in her freezer to last a year. Talking her into letting him stay the first few weeks had taken _months._

Now that the big day was almost here, Gray found himself more than a little anxious- the baby could come any day now and Cana just seemed so chill. She had just told him that fussing wasn't going to do anything and had given him a 'Call Cana' card that she would activate when it was time.

As the thunder crashed overhead Cana let out a hiss of pain, pressing her hand to her belly. That was cause for alarm.

"Are you okay?" Gray asked quietly, trying to seem casual, by the glare on his sister's face he failed.

"Its just more false contractions," she said levelly, how they had managed to keep this a secret for this long was a mystery to both of them.

oOOOOo

Gray was just about to give in and join the brawl, when the card in his pocket started vibrating, the chibi Cana jumping up and down.

Holy shit.

Glancing around to see if anyone was watching, he casually walked back toward the stairs, breaking out into a run as soon as he was out of sight. Skipping every other stair until he reached the bottom, spotting Cana by a stack of crates.

Judging from the look of pain on her face and the puddle of fluid on the floor, it was definitely show time.

He was by her side immediately," How far between?"

"M-maybe two or three minutes."

Shit.

It wasn't long before she started pushing, Gray supporting her back. It seemed to last for hours and then suddenly it was over.

He had a nephew.

Okay, he owed her an apology for doubting her cards later (you'd think he would have learned that lesson by now). Cana didn't even seem to realize that he was still there as she stared at the squirming kid (… he'd thought that babies were supposed to be... you know... _cute_ ).

"Happy birthday Henry." Cana then shifted her body towards him, pointing at him like her son could see," This is your Uncle Gray- he loves you just as much as I do."

He cried. Later he would deny it, but he bawled like a little kid, hugging the two of them as close as he possibly could.

He had an incredible sister and an amazing nephew- could life get any better than this?

"Geez Cana, how long does it take to grab- oh my god!"

Not even the shocked face of Lisanna Strauss, who immediately ran back up the stairs screaming for help, could make the happy moment die.

oOOOOo

"And why did neither of you tell someone?!" Makarov asked, flabbergasted that two of his surrogate children had hidden a pregnancy and probably wouldn't have told anyone even after the baby was born, if Cana hadn't given birth in the guildhall!

Gray looked at the miniature guildmaster completely unrepentant," Cana didn't want anyone to know- she asked me not to say anything unless somebody specifically asked- obviously nobody did."

At the slack jawed looks of everyone in the room, he got a feeling they weren't going to let that slide.

"Can I go sit with her now?" The question and answer round had been going on for almost an hour- the doctor was probably going to be here soon and he wanted to hold his nephew dammit! "I know- you think we should have told somebody else about this, and maybe you're right. But we have been seeing a doctor every step of the way, Cana took all her vitamins religiously, we've set up a nursery- what more do you want?" He snapped angrily.

"Gray…" the ice user turned to face Lisanna (who had largely calmed down)," … Is this your baby?"

For a moment Gray was conflicted- should he say yes? Ultimately, he decided to be honest. "No, he's not mine. Cana told me when she found out she was pregnant, and I got most of the story. Henry's real dad… his real dad died a few months ago. It doesn't matter that we don't share any blood- he's my nephew. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go sit with my sister and my nephew."

They'd all come around once the shock wore off, and once they did Gray was probably going to have to fight for time with Henry- might as well squeeze in as much as he can until they all snap out of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been staring at this one for months trying to come up with a better ending, but I finally decided enough was enough and I might as well post it. Even though ‘To Become a Father’ has taken up most of my free time I am still thinking about ‘Let Me Tell You’ and am still playing around with ideas from when I originally wrote it.


End file.
